Wiebke's Tribe: Sows and the City Boars

Happy and relieved that Dylan and his two ladies Begw 'Peggy'/'Little Pearl' and Beti 'Betty' have settled into their pen with some minimal chinning and stand-offs but are now happily sharing the hay tray. It has been worth giving them plenty of time in the bonding pen in the kitchen to work out the worst of the kinks overnight before moving them in their own patch this afternoon.

Dylan has some boarly feelings and desires and needs to be still told off but he does get the message - and his time will come when Beti is coming into season, which could get rather lively...
 
They are still somewhat cautious with each other but there is not an ounce of aggression in there. It is all in the very mild range. Beti just needs more time to settle in and get over fully over her insecurities and fears... that won't just happen in a day or two.

I have given them three log tunnels in parallel so they cannot get possessive over them or hog all of them at once; it usually does the trick together with sprinkle feeding when bonding adults.
 
Now that Beti has settled in well, relaxed a lot and has also made it through her first 'wedding season' with a boar (with the attendant excess of emotion and pheromones but no mishaps), I have taken the opportunity to snatch a little sunlight at the right angle for an official group photoshoot.
Photographing dark piggies is not easy!

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I took the opportunity of a quick photoshoot before the next weather front hits to update my pictures in the Gallery as the babies are growing and getting more used to being handled. Although Lleian promptly managed to jump off the chair, the little monkey (no harm done, thankfully)!

Llinos, Lleian and Dryw
('Linnet, Smew and Wren')
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Manon, Maelona and Macsen
(Queen, Princess and 'The Greatest' [after the last Roman emperor on British soil, Magnus Maximus])
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Sadly, my beloved black 'Pearl' Mererid has made her journey to the Rainbow Bridge just 9 days before her 8th birthday after beating Tegan by a few days to be the piggy longest with the Tribe. Here litter sister Morwenna is still with me.

She was one of the TEAS-born Triplets I adopted from @furryfriends (TEAS) in 2014

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Merry on the day of her arrival and my last picture of her
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My goodbye bouquet made of early spring clematis, the first rosemary flowers and patio rose and pelargonium blooms from my porch pots to reflect Mererid's vibrant personality.
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Her full tribute with lots of pics is in the Rainbow Bridge section.
 
So sorry for your loss Wiebke. She was lucky to have been in your care as you take such excellent care of your piggies and she was much loved I am sure.
 
Tudur has grown into a very handsome hunk since his arrival nearly half a year ago!
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Melangell is also no longer a small girl but a rather hormonal teenager with a hankering for neighbour Llelo (who has a golden agouti bum end). Brathlys is not quite impressed!
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And finally the lesser spotted non-cuddly Heilin and Hapus (who is celebrating her 6th birthday sometime in the coming two weeks). Hapus and her sister Llawen were both rescued as babies from a true hellhole with lots of other piggies. Considering that background, getting to that age is quite an achievement.
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Sorry about the nails - but I get better pictures before the clip than afterwards... :D
 
Flufy said:
You have a lot of guineas, we only have 4 in our herd.
Click to expand...

I have built up the numbers slowly over the years to realise my teenage dream until I have reached the limit beyond which I cannot go for the long term - never mind how great the need for experienced forever homes for stuck-in-rescue piggies - and am now in the process of gradually reducing them again over the coming years by not replacing any of my older piggies (the social needs of any younger companions have already been taken care of or assured; hence my adoption orgy last autumn), as several factors in my personal life have changed over the last couple of years.
That should about halve my piggy numbers over the coming 3 years or so, seeing that even after all my recent losses I still have about eight piggies that are around 6-8 years old (some of which pretty frail now and could pass away anytime) and another four that are turning 5 years this year. It will also allow me to hopefully go back to smaller groups and just the odd pair again eventually and then downsize and adjust further from there as I and especially my husband get older.

It is always hard to say no when there are lives at acute risk and in dire need of rescue space at the other end but being aware of your personal limitations is important. Circumstances change over the years when you are a long term owner, and you have to adapt to them.
But having the courage to live my dream and to go for it has also opened new doors in my life, allowed me to use my own strengths and abilities to the best and has given me opportunities I would have otherwise never have had.

I have been lucky and very blessed to have the various experiences with having anything from a large group to medium groups to quartets, trios and pairs both mixed gender or sows-only over the years and sometime for more than one pigg generation with being able to watch the equally ineresting interaction between different group/pairs through the bars over the years. It's been fascinating and a real eye-opener to witness all the different complex and nuanced social interaction and dynamics and to give me insights into guinea pigs as a species in their own right that many people will never get.
And, of course, to have met so many wonderful and dedicated piggy people and some truly special 'pigsonalities', which have brightened up even the darkest of times and who I can't remember without a smile!

Having the opportunity to realise a life dream is something I'll never rue, even if having lots of piggies has come with virtually nonstop cage cleaning and washing, all the nights spent sitting up with very ill or dying piggies and the times when you are basically living in a vet's waiting room or have to deal with the pain of stampedes to the Rainbow Bridge when you lose several piggies in very quick succession. It's never been all sweetness but it has helped me to grow as a human being, too.
 
I am very sad about having lost Barri 'Summit' (for the distinctive golden spot on his head) over the weekend. He was coming up to 6 years and only a few weeks wshort of his 5th adoption anniversary.

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My full tribute for Barri is in the Rainbow Bridge section: Adieu, Barri
 
I'm sorry to hear that Wiekbe - dear Barri will be popcorning with all the other gorgeous piggies you gave love and life to.
You are an inspiration Wiekbe and thank you for being here on this forum and in the piggy mag and for all you do to safeguard and raise awareness of good care for piggies 🥰
 
So very sorry for the loss of your gorgeous Barri.
You gave him so many wonderful years of loving care.
Holding you in my heart ♥️
 
Sorrow and joy are close bedfellows.

Yesterday was a day of joy for me when Morwenna became the first Tribe piggy ever to celebrate her 8th Gotcha Day
(Adoption Anniversary).
It's even more amazing considering she was born as tiny as can be to a newly rescued sow in very bad state and needed a helping hand in her first days at TEAS sanctuary. She must surely now be the last Rainbow Ark 'sanctuary' indiscriminate breeding hellhole survivor and has made up for far too many animals of all species too badly damaged to live or live for long in good care. It's one of these little miracles that you just never imagine...

Admittedly, I have been keeping my fingers very firmly crossed after she has had the odd wobble over the last three months as arthritis and old age are taking their toll.

Here is her celebration thread: Happy 8th Adoption Anniversary, Morwenna!
 
A reversal of sizes...

Teggy (who is now 6 years old) has rather shrunk in the wake of losing her two mates last autumn but has stabilised again on a lower weight level with medical and extra feeding support while Tudor is now a fully grown adult in his prime and happy to show off to all the other boars and sows during roaming time.

He has however learned quickly not to get between Teggy and any food, no matter how tiny she is! She's a lethal weapon around anything edible...

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